House Delays Vote On Bill

October 11, 1989|By ROBERT BECKER Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — An inter-committee turf concern prompted the House of Representatives to delay a vote Tuesday on a bill that would ultimately allow local law enforcement agencies in Virginia and other states to continue sharing money from drug-related seizures.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. William J. Hughes, D-N.J., was intended to allow states the chance to refashion their laws in accordance with the recently passed federal Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which took effect Oct.1.

The vote was delayed when Rep. John D. Dingall, D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said his committee should be allowed to review the legislation before a vote, congressional staffers said.

The 1988 federal law allows for assets to be split between state and local agencies, except when state law dictates otherwise. Virginia law mandates that assets from drug raids and arrests be used for education through the Literary Fund.

Police had circumvented that requirement by accepting money from federal agencies that had seized drug dealers' assets.

Federal officials were barred from distributing the money to state and local police in Virginia last week.

The U.S. Senate has passed five different bills sponsored by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., that would repeal or ammend the language in the week-old federal law. The Virginia General Assembly has passed legislation that would amend the state Constitution, which requires that the money go to the Literary Fund, but must wait until next year to finalize that amendment.